Update #2: Holiday progress

I’ve been interviewing myself weekly while I work on my new novel. Go here to start at the beginning.

Want to be one of the first to read my draft when it’s ready? Send me an email to jb@lot23.com, I’d love to hear from you.

Journalist: Thanks for sitting down with us again! Last week, you mentioned working through structural issues in your novel. What progress have you made since then? Are you feeling more confident about the direction?

Jon: The news is mixed. On one hand, I reached my lofty goal for the end of the year. I have my first draft completed, and now I’ve turned my attention to the rewrite. So that’s nice, but it’s also a mirage. The first draft is barely a draft. There’s a bunch of dumb placeholder content and about 25% of the book (the ending) is still confused and not really complete. So I didn’t do what I was hoping for, but I’m in pretty good shape and ready to keep going.

Journalist: That’s a major milestone. Even if it’s a bit of a mirage, reaching that first draft is no small feat. It sounds like you’re diving straight into the rewrite now. What’s your main focus in this next phase? Are you planning to tackle the placeholder content first or sort out the confused ending?

Jon: I’m purposely starting back on page one, writing every word over again from scratch. I’m hoping this helps me keep things consistent and cohesive.

Teenager: Wait, so you’re literally starting over with every word? Isn’t that, like, super annoying? Why not just fix the bad parts and leave the good stuff? Sounds like a ton of work for no reason.

Jon: It is indeed difficult and annoying, but I think it’s going to help a lot. My current book is pieced-together garbage, and I’d prefer it be consistent garbage at least.

Publisher: A fair approach, if a labor-intensive one. Rewriting from scratch can definitely iron out inconsistencies, but how are you managing to keep the big picture intact while reworking the details? Do you have a clear roadmap for the rewrite, or are you letting the story guide you organically?

Jon: Yeah, it’s pretty much on rails now. I know what every chapter is there to do, and I know what order everything goes into. Now it’s just a matter of writing it all out again.

Journalist: Sounds like you’ve got the structure firmly in place, which must be reassuring. As you rewrite, do you find yourself sticking to the original chapter purposes, or are you making new discoveries along the way?

Jon: Always new discoveries. For example, the very first scene of the book is our main character getting a letter from his dad. But when I went into the rewrite, I intuitively tried another first scene to see how it felt. In this case, I went back to the original order, but I know I’m going to end up with all sorts of new ideas during this rewrite. It’s not the main goal, but it’s a helpful side effect of doing this.

Teenager: That’s kinda cool. Like, you tried starting with something new, but then you were like, “Nah, let’s stick with the letter.” Does it ever get frustrating, though, having to pick between ideas? Or are you just like, “Whatever feels best, let’s roll with that”?

Jon: Great question, but no, it’s the opposite of frustrating. It’s a great joy to be able to think through this stuff creatively and see where it leads.

Publisher: That’s a good mindset — embracing the creative process rather than resisting it. Are you keeping track of those alternate scenes and ideas as potential material for later, or do you just let them go once you’ve settled on a direction?

Jon: Just letting it go. It’s like a live guitar solo during a show. You get to pick what you’re going to do *right now,* but you don’t get to ask the band to go back 20 seconds so you can try again. With this writing, I’m seeing where the solo takes me and then moving on.

Journalist: That’s a compelling analogy — capturing the energy of the moment. Do you think this approach keeps the writing feeling fresher and more alive, or do you worry about leaving some strong ideas behind?

Jon: The time for auditioning a bunch of ideas has passed. It’s time to sit down and make it happen. There will be variations and surprises, but the book is mostly figured out.

Publisher: Understood — sounds like you’re in execution mode now. With the book mostly figured out, do you have a timeline in mind for completing this rewrite, or are you letting the process determine the pace?

Jon: Funny you mention it. I made a little tracker for myself:

Publisher: A tracker — great idea! It looks like you’ve set a steady pace that’s manageable but ambitious. With a projected completion by March, are you planning to stick to the same workflow for the entire rewrite, or do you think you’ll adjust as you hit different parts of the book? For example, sections that need more rethinking versus those that might just need polishing.

Jon: I am 100% positive I am going to hit patches where I’m writing less, or not at all. You can’t take your progress during the holidays and extrapolate out across your normal life. So this will be a burst of progress I can attribute to the New Year’s Effect, and then the key is figuring out ways to maintain and not get dispirited as the months go by.

Journalist: That’s realistic — holidays and fresh starts have a way of supercharging productivity, but life always finds a way to slow you down. Do you have any strategies in mind for staying motivated during those inevitable slower periods, or will you just take it one day at a time?

Jon: Well, these weekly interviews will certainly help keep me honest. And with that, it’s time to go write! Thanks, team.

Want to be one of the first to read my draft when it’s ready? Send me an email to jb@lot23.com, I’d love to hear from you.